Priority areas for establishing national forests in the Brazilian Amazon

Article which presents a method for optimally locating national forest areas that incorporates information on existing protected areas, current vegetation cover, areas of human occupation, and timber stocks. The method combines these data in a spatial database that makes it possible to model the economic potential of the region's various forests as a function of their accessibility and timber values while constraining model solutions for existing areas of protection or human occupation.

Results indicate that 1.15 x 106 km2 of forests (23% of the Brazilian Amazon) could be established as national forests in a manner that will promote sustainable forest management; these Flonas would also serve as buffer zones for fully protected areas such as parks and reserves.

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